Garura Wildlife Park x Hippo pools, Zimbabwe (all you need to know about visiting it)

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Click on the subheadings below to jump to their contents:

1. Introduction
2. About the Park & game walk fee
3. Booking & Contact details
4. Directions & best vehicle to use
5. Arrival and experience with staff members
6. Game walk experience at Garura Wildlife Park
7. Swimming
8. Accommodation options & fees
9. Meals
10. Other activities
11. A visit to the Umfurudzi River/ Sandy beaches

NB: It is strongly advised to read all the reviews on this site in their entirety to ensure that the destinations really suit all your needs & preference

Introduction

Where do I even begin with this one… from the Mazowe river view which I had the privilege of waking up to every single morning, or from the giraffe, zebra and kudu which were regular visitors just on the other side of the river, spicing up our view. Should I maybe start by telling you about the cozy swimming pool which also had spectacular views of the Mazowe river; or did the walk in the sand along the Umfurudzi river and the shallow waters top that… But how about the game walk in the Garura Wildlife park where I found myself surrounded by over 6 animal species all at once…

What a calming, relaxing & nature-filled experience our 7th year anniversary celebration turned out to be!

About the Park & game walk fee

Garura Wildlife Park is a cozy little park tucked in the district of Shamva, along the banks of Mazowe River. What attracted me to this park is the powerful story of how it came to be. A story that proves that conservation of our wildlife is everybody’s responsibility. It is quite inspiring to see people with no affiliations to the government taking up such responsibilities to ensure that areas around them are conserved and protected.

The Wildlife Park is just one of several initiatives by Hippo pools, done for and with the nearby communities. For the past 15 years, they have managed to build a community clinic and infrastructure at four local schools. As if building these is not enough, they also sponsor orphans and other less privileged students in the community to pursue their education. I had the privilege of meeting one of the beneficiaries of this project during our visit, Mallon, who reached tertiary level and is qualifying soon as a Chef. We had great light chats with him as he is such a cheerful person to be around.

Their motto at Hippo pools is, “People and Wildlife together”. If you have ever read the “About me” section then you already know why this motto resonates so much with me. Which brings me to the game walk fee, $15 per adult and $5 per child. Under normal circumstances I would not have been comfortable spending that much money on a game walk. However, after learning about the park and how the money goes towards running this community project, I could see just how valuable that was.

As I always share with you, when we are choosing destinations to support, we should try to focus on those which take conservation of wildlife and environment seriously. Yes, our visit and time we spend in nature does so much good to our health and mental well being, however, the ultimate win is if we can look back in time, when we have our own grandchildren and still be able to take them to the same places because they would have been well conserved.

To learn more about Hippo pools and their various projects visit https://www.hippopools.co.zw/.

Booking & Contact details

My first communication with them was via Instagram which we then took to WhatsApp. On both platforms, I was communicating with Caroline who is such a bubbly person, full of positive and contagious energy. She really puts you in the mood for your holiday. She was so helpful throughout the booking process. She emailed me a lot of information, some of which I didn’t even know that I needed. So as far as what you need to pack for your trip is concerned, no need to worry, Caroline has got you covered a 100%! The contact number is +263773050670

At the time of writing this review, the park is not open for day visitors due to Covid 19 restrictions. Do follow Hippo pools on their social media platforms for latest & regular updates.

Directions & best vehicle to use

To get to Garura Wildlife Park from Harare, you take Enterprise road and drive until you get to the tollgate. Distance from the traffic lights (which are at the intersection of 7th street and Herbert Chitepo) to the tollgate is 19.8km. The roads are quite bad and therefore the best vehicle for this trip is one with high ground clearance. If you do not have a suitable vehicle, Presley Car Rental can sort you out. You can contact them on +263772546880. I would also advise you to zero your trip gauge at the tollgate as I will be sharing some bad road warnings at specific distances so that you can save your vehicle from surprise strains caused by sudden exposure to bad roads.

From the tollgate, you take your immediate left turn, just after a few meters drive. As soon as you reach Shamva town, (which is 71.4km from the tollgate), the road gets terribly bad so proceed with caution. Some parts of the road are going to be better than others but do watch out for an abrupt dirt road at 101.2km. This always takes many by surprise. In about 700m, when your trip reads 101.9km take the right turn with an “Umfurudzi Park” Sign post. This right turn will lead you into Madziwa growth point. Continue following the “Umfurudzi Park” sign posts until you get to the Umfurudzi Park entrance at 110.3km. You are going to be required to pay entry fee which is $3 per adult/ $1 per child per day, and $5 per vehicle per visit (payable in RTGS at bank rate). Continue with your drive following the “Hippo pools” sign posts. You will get to a point with 2 gates which you just open and proceed, (remember to leave the gates closed).

The distance from the Umfurudzi entry point to Hippo pools’ offices is about 20km.

Arrival and experience with staff members

The day before our visit, Caroline phoned me to check the time we were planning to arrive. I was a little embarrassed to tell her that the plan was to arrive at around 8:30am, knowing that their check in time is 2pm. To my surprise, she was extremely accommodative, and told me that 8:30am was not going to be a problem since there was nobody checking out at Martyn’s campsite, where we were going to settle at. I had a little heart melting moment there because they most certainly did not have to accommodate us like that. We ended up arriving at around 9am and Maria was already waiting for us. It was so impressive when her first words to us were, “welcome back”. We had only visited them one other time, more than a year ago. So the fact that she even remembered specifically that in that one visit we were there for lunch only (since we were staying at a different destination) was just insane.

As if that was not impressive enough, we also had Mallon already waiting to welcome us with his huge smile at our camp site. This is what they mean when they say “it’s the little things that will be remembered forever“. Hippo pools definitely served us a lot of those “little things”.

Standing on the banks of the Mazowe river, thinking of just how this amazingly gorgeous view was going to be my view for the next few days, I almost wanted to scream. As I was standing there in awe I then saw a couple of giraffes on the other side. How is this even possible!!! I was ready for it all…

Game walk experience at Garura Wildlife Park

Some things are better just experienced than described because no matter how hard I will try, I know I am not going to do any justice to this experience. As stated above, the park is across the Mazowe river, directly facing Hippo pools. So we first crossed the river in a boat. What made this very short experience unique is the fact that on that very day we had seen a crocodile doing its patrol along the river and on our previous “lunch” visit, we had spotted some hippos in this same river. I guess it’s the thrill of sharing the same space with such phenomenal animals that really got me excited. The Hippo pools team and Tadious (our guide) make sure that people are safe though, as Tadious later on explained to us that the game walk is only on offer when the water level of the river is at a certain height. It is therefore best done during the dry season, also when the game can be easily spotted.

We walked a few meters and immediately started spotting some animals curiously staring at us. The first ones were impalas, then giraffes immediately popped up. I later learnt that their look was not out of curiosity but rather anticipation of the “yummies” they get during the dry season as supplementary food. During this season, the relatively small area has very little for animals to feed on so their diet has to be significantly supplemented.

We walked a few additional meters and all of a sudden found myself surrounded by over 6 mammal species in numbers. The feeling was surreal. The first species my eyes gazed at were the male and female Kudus. I don’t think I am ever going to get used to just how insanely gorgeous the horns on these males’ heads are. There were also giraffes, zebras, more impalas, wildebeests, Vervet monkeys and some guinea fowls. The species all looked quite healthy with a number of young ones in the mix. I could feel my heart pumping faster and faster from excitement each minute we spent observing this group of animals. The Wildlebeest and Kudu seemed to spend most of their time chasing after each other while the rest of the animals were feeding. A hug from one of the animal species would have been perfect, but hey… they didn’t even care to look at me. They were just in their own zone and I was most definitely humbled to share their world with them, especially in that moment.

After some time, we then proceeded with our walk and saw some beautiful landscapes with Tadious explaining to us about some interesting significant values a number of the sites have to the local community. I am not going to spill too much so that when you visit, you also have some things you will be learning for the first time.

I most definitely enjoyed our game walk. We walked for about 1 hour 30 minutes, with a lot of breaks in between. We were even provided with some delicious cookies and chilled water. Would I do this game walk again?… Definitely Yes!

Swimming

With the extremely high temperatures experienced in this part of the country, a swim is a must! What makes swimming at Hippo pools extra special is the Mazowe River view which is just mind blowing no matter the number of times you are exposed to it. There is nothing as fulfilling as coming back after a nice game walk then dipping your feet or body in cool water and sipping on some nice cold drink to get a double cooling effect. Even better when you can still feel the famous African sun on your body. To increase the chances of having the pool all to yourself, a visit during the week might be a good idea. This activity is free.

Accommodation options & fees

One other reason that makes Hippo pools a perfect destination is their wide range of accommodation options which are flexible budget wise and are all overlooking the Mazowe River. From cheapest to most expensive, they have campsites which are $15 per adult per night and $5 per child per night; followed by tented camps which are $30 per person per night and occupy a maximum of two people. The tented camps have one double bed, en-suite bathroom, bath towels, fridge/freezer, and braai area. They also have Family Chalets which are $40 per person per night. These comprise two single beds, one bunk bed, en-suite bathroom, bath towels, fridge/freezer, kitchen sink, crockery and cutlery, braai area and two plate gas cooker. The final accommodation option are the lodges at $70 per person per night. Each lodge has two bedrooms, both with en-suite bathrooms, bath towels, fans and mosquito nets, equipped kitchen including fridge and gas hob, dining area, covered deck area, and braai area.

My personal favourites are the Campsites and the Lodges. Besides being the cheapest, campsites allow me the opportunity to customize and personalize my trips. I prefer to camp at places where ablution blocks with hot water are provided and that was the case at Hippo pools. Their ablution blocks are beautifully built with stone work and are modern looking. The area that I dread the most when planning trips is the showering part. I can not stand lukewarm water and unfortunately most destinations seem to not get that part right. I definitely loved and appreciated my hot showers every morning and evening for the duration of our stay at Hippo pools.

Electricity is also available at no extra charge at the camp site (and throughout the complex), thanks to a massive array of solar panels backing up the ZETDC supply (which is not reliable). There is also an external light over the cooking and seating area of each camp site as well as a 13A (square) single outlet. This enabled us to run our camping fridge and charge our other electrical gadgets with ease. Hippo pools is therefore a perfect destination for camping, especially if you are new to camping or if you just enjoy how camping brings you closer to nature but at the same time not wanting to trade that experience for being cozy and comfortable. For more tips on camping you can check this article – 10 Things to consider when going for ‘nature themed’ camping in Zimbabwe. The lodges are also my favourite because of how aesthetically pleasing they are. Perfect for a bigger group though, minimum occupancy is 3 people.

The rates given above are are all for self catering. Every accommodation option qualifies for restaurant meals at an added price.

Meals

For meals, we opted to have all our dinners at the restaurant and sort out our breakfast and lunch separately. When we visit game parks, we prefer to get up quite early and be out in the bush just as the sun rises and so it’s more convenient for us to carry our breakfast and lunch with us. Being our anniversary, I also wanted to surprise hubby with a lunch/picnic which I would personally setup to make it a little special! I think the Mazowe river in the background made my picnic setup look and feel really cozy.

The thatched restaurant area with an open space design was quite inviting, especially considering that I’m not really a foodie, that African bush-like vibe gave me the inspiration I needed. All of our dinners were cooked to satisfaction. Hubby doesn’t normally like burgers but this time he only had positive things to say about it. My favourite was fish and chips though, probably because I hadn’t had fish in such a long time.

For a menu with the price list you can just send Caroline a WhatsApp message and she will send you all the information you need.

Other activities

Hippo pools has several walking and driving trails which lead to some interesting view points including the sandy beaches and bushman rock paintings. Below is a list of other paid activities on offer, charged per adult:

a). mountain biking – $10

b). fishing – $5

c). birding – $15

d). canoeing – $15

A visit to the Umfurudzi River/ Sandy beaches

One of our biggest highlights was the Umfurudzi river bank which was super stunning. We only learnt about it on our last day as we were looking for a place to sit and have lunch/picnic. Simba, the gentleman who checked us out, directed us to this precious spot. We would never have thought of taking that specific turn. To imagine that everywhere we were driving was quite dry, being that we are in the dry season, then all of a sudden found ourselves in this lush place full of life with so many plants looking lively was just magical. It definitely ended our trip on a very high note.

I could go on and on about how great our stay was at this destination but I think it’s time to leave you now so that you too can start planning your own trip and create some awesome memories at Garura Wildlife Park/Hippo pools 🙂

Remember to always have a little intimacy in your life & as always I’m talking about Intimacy With Nature.